In all likelihood, 3-D printing will forever remain a niche thing. But if you or your kid happen to reside in that niche, making your own stuff has become crazy accessible. Much of the reason is software: Microsoft's Paint 3-D app in the upcoming Windows 10 Creators Update makes designing 3-D objects super simple, and kids can even print out their own Minecraft creations. But the hardware is following suit, as 3-D printers are now much cheaper and easier to use. For less than $300, you can now buy a capable and beginner-friendly 3-D printer.

With every step we advance in the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), it seems we can't help but ask, "Is this something that will bring us closer to'Westworld?'" Since it premiered last year, HBO's hit sci-fi series has become the mainstream benchmark for AI systems. In the show's fictional world, robots can think and function like humans, and they are nearly indistinguishable from their human counterparts. It has created this sense of wonder at what's possible given today's quickly advancing technology. However, it has also reinforced how very far we still have to go before we can create AIs with the same level of sophistication. Taken at face value, we know "Westworld" hosts are incredibly advanced AIs that probably have some sort of deep learning mechanism that allows them to quickly respond to their environments.

Technology has long been considered a resource-liberating mechanism, granting us better access to resources like information, food and energy. Yet what is often overlooked is the revolutionary impact technology can have on our ability to create art. Many artists are reacting to a world of accelerating change and rapid digitization through their work. Emerging artistic mediums like 3D printing, virtual reality and artificial intelligence are providing artists with unprecedented forms of self-expression. Many are also embracing the rise of intelligent machines and leveraging the man-machine symbiosis to create increasingly powerful works of art.

This year the Consumer Electronics Show (CES)– an international consumer electronics and technology innovation trade fair – was celebrating its 50th anniversary. The January Las Vegas event, which venue extends over close to 250.000m2, can sometimes almost overwhelm its audience with its vast and varied array of innovative technologies but it serves as a valuable indicator of the technology trends that are now helping to propel corporate transformation and drive changes in consumer behaviour. Last year self-driving connected cars were the stars of CES, but this year artificial intelligence (AI) topped the polls by a long way, with the prospect of integration into tomorrow's road vehicles confirmed by announcements from Santa Clara, USA-based tech company Nvidia. Indeed the company's AI technology can now be embedded in'smart' co-pilot systems for car drivers. It can also be integrated into the virtual assistant systems that help users on a daily basis, incorporated into your'smart home' and its connected objects, underpinning the voice commands that regulate the temperature and lighting levels and close doors at your house, and can also order you a taxi.

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer. Attendees view vehicles manufactured by 3D printing at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.David Paul Morris/Bloomberg Much of the focus in the technology world currently is on artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data – and how they will affect the way we use products and how machines operate. But developing just as quickly, although with slightly less hype, is 3D printing or additive manufacturing (AM), which is going to have at least as big an impact on how we make things as AI et al.

If two junior Navy officers have their way, the warships of the future will be floating factories that create everything from food to robots and spare parts -- all thanks to 3-D printers. Shipyards will use them on a vast scale. And when the ships need more raw materials, they'll link up with "biomining" ships that harvest raw materials from the sea. Writing in Proceedings, the influential journal of the U.S. Naval Institute, the pair write that the growth of 3-D printing machines could change almost everything about how the Navy builds stuff "through the design and construction of ships, submarines, aircraft, and everything carried on board." On a smaller scale, they write that 3-D printers could change the way the Navy handles logistics and the way it produces tools, components and supplies for its ships.

Right now, the typical 3D printer is a tool for making plastic objects. Assembling them in layers according to a pre-programmed plan, the printers can quickly make weirdly shaped parts, but they're often limited to working with just one material at a time. Additive manufacturing, as 3D printing is also known, offers so much more. A new printer, created by MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), can print up to 10 materials into a single object --and incorporate other, finished parts directly into the design-- all at a fraction of the cost of complex industrial 3D printers Their new printer, known as the MultiFab, is a system of systems. A central computer runs the printing program, but as it does so it receives feedback from 3D scanners and machine vision, which map the object as it's being made, allowing the computer to adjust the printing process and materials accordingly.

The aptly named 3D printer scanner, Zeus, may be a game changer in getting 3-dimensional printers into the consumer market. Invented at the University of Southern California's new incubator/accelerator, Viterbi Startup Garage, the team comes from a unique mix of robotics, artificial intelligence, and computer vision) and appears to be pushing the envelope, so to speak, in creating a multi-functional, all-in-one, 3D printer. You can check out the Kickstarter project: ZEUS: The World's First ALL-IN-ONE 3D Copy Machine. I am on my way over to the USC Viterbi Startup Garage this afternoon and I'm sure it will be an exciting visit considering that their Kickstarter project exceeded its $100,000 goal in 24 hours. Overfunding in the Kickstarter realm often means a project will catch a lot of attention and gain tremendous momentum.

Forget selfies burnt into toast and marshmallows printed with your portrait, the next trend will be to have your face immortalised on a pancake. A research and design team has created a concept 3D printer that combines facial recognition with a hot plate and layers of batter to create complex images. And the printing has the capability to be perfectly timed using algorithms so the lighter and darker tones of the face are captured, and cooked, with precision. The idea was developed by research and innovation experts at Bristol-based Kinneir Dufort. It uses Computer Numerical Control (CNC) technology to convert online designs into numbers, similar to coordinates on a graph.

A smart home full of devices connected to each other, as well as domestic robots are closer than we think, according to one futurologist. This year has seen a rush in the popularity of smart gadgets, with items like 3D printers and smart thermostats making it onto Christmas lists for the first time. The trend is a sign of the way technology will accelerate in 2015, according to London-based futurologist Dr James Bellini. Tipping pint: According to a recent survey, 26 per cent if people are most looking forward to getting a robot helper in the home. Technology giant Honda already has a domestic robot, Asimo (left).